Breaking Through Growth Plateaus: The SaaS Turnaround Playbook - EP 101 🇬🇧 | Stefan Zanetti

Breaking Through Growth Plateaus: The SaaS Turnaround Playbook - EP 101 🇬🇧 | Stefan Zanetti

Author: Björn W. Schäfer | Entrepreneur, Business Angel & Book Author May 11, 2025 Duration: 33:46
In this episode, I talk with Stefan Zanetti, a serial entrepreneur and pivot expert, about detecting and managing fundamental change in companies that have reached a growth plateau. What to expect: Stefan's 25-year journey as an entrepreneur, including how he navigated companies through pivots after they'd already achieved product-market fitA practical framework for assessing when your business needs minor adjustments versus a fundamental change in business modelWhy the AI revolution is forc...

Funky Flywheels Show is a conversation for founders who have moved past the initial startup chaos and are now navigating the complex, costly stages of scaling a B2B SaaS or AI business in the DACH region, specifically those between one and ten million in annual recurring revenue. Hosted by Björn W. Schäfer, an entrepreneur, business angel, and author, this podcast digs into the operational realities that can stall growth and burn cash. You’ll hear frank discussions focused on the most expensive pitfalls, like building what he calls "Fake Sales Teams"-where founders hire a few sellers but still close most deals themselves, creating expensive revenue theater without a real engine. Another critical topic is "Symbolic Sales Leadership," where a seemingly perfect hire with a strong CV fails to deliver impact, costing a company a critical year and significant resources. This isn't about high-level theory; it's a practical, grounded look at sales and go-to-market execution for the scaling phase. Each episode aims to identify these specific friction points and explore actionable strategies to overcome them, making the podcast a resource for founders facing the tangible pressures of building a sustainable, growing company.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Funky Flywheels Show – der Podcast für B2B SaaS- & AI-Founder zwischen 1–10 Mio. ARR.
Podcast Episodes
Sales vs. GTM - das Streitgespräch  - EP 81 | Manuel Hartmann [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:12
In dieser Episode diskutieren Björn W. Schäfer und Manuel Hartmann, Gründer vom Sales Playbook, anregend, provokant und unterhaltsam unterschiedliche Perspektiven auf Go-To-Market (GTM) und B2B Sales. Beide diskutieren M…
Road to Series A mit dem 5 P-Framework - EP 78 | Raul Porojan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:30
In dieser Episode diskutieren Björn W. Schäfer und Raul Porojan über den Weg zur Series A und die entscheidenden Faktoren, die dabei eine Rolle spielen. Raul teilt seine Erfahrungen aus der Venture-Welt und stellt sein F…
Der Status Quo des B2B Vertriebs im DACH-Raum - EP 73 | Dirk Schuran [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:27
In dieser Episode diskutieren Björn W. Schäfer und Dirk Schuran die aktuellen Herausforderungen und Chancen im B2B Vertrieb. Sie beleuchten die Bedeutung von handwerklichen Fähigkeiten, die Wahrnehmung des Vertriebs in d…
Exklusive Hörbuch-Vorschau | Kapitel 1: Flywheel meets Bowtie - EP 70 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:28
🎙 Funky Flywheels: Go-to-Market-Strategien für Start-ups mit sich selbst beschleunigendem Wachstum 🎙 Im August erschien mein neues Buch "𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐤𝐲 𝐅𝐥𝐲𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐬" im Wiley Verlag – und es hat direkt die Bestsellerliste gestürmt.…
Enterprise Sales in Richtung 2+ Mio. ARR - EP 69 | Marc Funk [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:16
In dieser Folge spricht Björn W. Schäfer mit Marc Funk, dem Gründer von Frontnow, über das Kernwertversprechen des Unternehmens und die Zielkunden im Enterprise-Bereich. Frontnow bietet einen virtuellen Kundenberater auf…